Postdoctoral Research Fellow-- Statistical Genetics (Computational)

Job Description

New hires working in our US & Puerto Rico locations will be required to demonstrate that they have been fully vaccinated for COVID-19 or qualify for a medical or religious exemption or accommodation to this vaccination requirement, subject to applicable law.

Be a part of the legacy: Postdoctoral Research Fellow Program

Our Research Laboratories’ Postdoctoral Research Fellow Program aims to be a best-in-industry program for industrial postdoctoral researchers, designed to provide you with an academic focus in a commercial environment. With the resources, reach, and expertise of a large pharmaceutical company, postdoctoral researchers will be positioned to excel in an institution committed to breakthrough innovation in research and discovery.

Position Overview:

The Statistical Genetics group in the Early Discovery Genetics (EDG) of The Genome & Biomarker Sciences (GBx) department is currently seeking a Postdoctoral Scientist with expertise in statistical genetics and human genetics to join an energetic team of statistical geneticists. Our mission is to identify novel targets anchored in human genetics that will enter our company's drug discovery pipeline for therapeutic intervention. The successful candidate will analyze large-scale human genetics datasets such as UK Biobank and FinnGen with focus on identifying genetic variants associated with multiple diseases/traits including Cardiovascular, Immunology, Ophthalmology and Neuroscience disease areas. The successful candidate will participate in academic/industry partnerships, apply the state-of-the-art statistical approaches to large-scale biobank datasets for novel genetic findings, and write high-impact manuscripts in peer-reviewed journals. The successful candidate will also collaborate with both computational and experimental scientists within and outside the Early Discovery Genetics for novel target discovery.

Responsibilities include but are not limited to:

• Integrate data from large human genetic datasets, including Genome-Wide Association Study (GWAS), rare variant association studies (RVAS), Quantitative Trait Loci (eQTL/pQTL) studies, and Mendelian genetics, to discover potential novel genetic findings across different disease areas including Cardiovascular, Immunology, Ophthalmology and Neuroscience disease areas.

• Participate in academic/industry partnerships and analyze genotype/sequence and phenotype data from large biobanks (including FinnGen and UK Biobank).

• Ensure that our company is at the forefront of human genetics and is applying the most advanced methods and tools in this constantly evolving field.

• Closely collaborate with scientists in GBx and the therapeutic areas to apply genetics and genomics research for target identification.

• Communicate results to program teams and therapeutic area leadership.

• Provide genetics expertise to biologists and senior leadership across disease areas.

• Write and review publications and manuscripts.

Education Minimum Requirement:

• Candidates must currently hold a PhD OR will receive a PhD by Fall 2022 with degrees in genetics, statistics, bioinformatics, biostatistics, biochemistry, molecular biology, computer science, or a related field.

Required Experience and Skills:

• Extensive expertise in statistical and human genetics and in analyzing large-scale human genetics dataset applying cutting-edge statistical genetics and bioinformatic methods.

• Experiences in omics data analysis such as whole-genome sequencing, whole-exome sequencing, microarray, or RNA-seq datasets with statistical tools (e.g., GATK, BWA, Picard, VCFTools, PLINK-Seq, PLINK, ShapeIt, Impute2).

• Excellent skills in programming (Java, Python, C/C++, or Perl) and/or statistical tools (R). Experience in a Linux system and preferably also in a high-performance cluster (SGE, SLURM, LSF).

• Understanding of human biology and experience translating genetics findings to better understand biological mechanisms implicated in disease.

• Strong communication and collaboration skills including ability to distill and communicate complex genetic/genomic concepts to scientists from diverse disciplines.

Preferred Experience and Skills:

• Experience with integration of diverse diseases/traits and with multi-trait association analysis using biobank datasets (such as MTAG and LD score regression).

• Experience in identifying causal mechanisms of genetic associations such as fine-mapping, colocalization, Mendelian randomization, and transcriptome-wide association studies.

• Demonstrate significant knowledge of pathway and multi-omics approaches to integrated with genetic datasets for identifying causal gene(s) as potential therapeutic targets.

The geographic location of this position is in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Some flexibility for remote work can be offered.

We are a research-driven biopharmaceutical company. Our mission is built on the simple premise that if we “follow the science” that great medicines can make a significant impact to our world. We believe that a research-driven enterprise dedicated to world-class science can succeed by inventing medicine and vaccine innovations that make a difference for patients across the globe.

MRLpostdoc

Who we are …

We are known as Merck & Co., Inc., Kenilworth, New Jersey, USA in the United States and Canada and MSD everywhere else. For more than a century, we have been inventing for life, bringing forward medicines and vaccines for many of the world's most challenging diseases. Today, our company continues to be at the forefront of research to deliver innovative health solutions and advance the prevention and treatment of diseases that threaten people and animals around the world.

What we look for …

Imagine getting up in the morning for a job as important as helping to save and improve lives around the world. Here, you have that opportunity. You can put your empathy, creativity, digital mastery, or scientific genius to work in collaboration with a diverse group of colleagues who pursue and bring hope to countless people who are battling some of the most challenging diseases of our time. Our team is constantly evolving, so if you are among the intellectually curious, join us—and start making your impact today.

NOTICE FOR INTERNAL APPLICANTS

In accordance with Managers' Policy - Job Posting and Employee Placement, all employees subject to this policy are required to have a minimum of twelve (12) months of service in current position prior to applying for open positions.

If you have been offered a separation benefits package, but have not yet reached your separation date and are offered a position within the salary and geographical parameters as set forth in the Summary Plan Description (SPD) of your separation package, then you are no longer eligible for your separation benefits package. To discuss in more detail, please contact your HRBP or Talent Acquisition Advisor.

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Requisition ID:R154845